Subscriber exclusive — Straight outta Chicago, Rosati's deep-dish pizza hits the spot

As a rule, I don't like to write about chain restaurants. I don't have anything against them; it's simply these are the places people are more likely to visit, the places everyone already knows about. With that in mind, this week I am writing about a chain restaurant. Straight outta Chicago, I give you Rosati's Pizza.

To be fair, Rosati's has much more to offer than Chicago-style, deep-dish pizza. They have pasta, salads, sandwiches and regular pizzas, but I have not tried any of those. I have been to Chicago on a few occasions, and I was thrilled to hear about this place opening and cooking a real deep-dish pizza. I also didn't get to experience dining-in, as I took my pizza to-go. Keep that in mind as you read my review.

When I walked in, the lady working the cash register had the biggest smile, and she took every one of my questions in stride and never showed the slightest indication of irritation. I ordered my pizza with a lot of toppings, including meatballs. I would highly recommend this topping. Rosati's makes enormous Italian meatballs for their pasta, but for their pizza they crumble them into manageable pieces. Their homemade pizza sauce is sweet and tangy, with chunks of tomatoes and lots of texture. When you combine this with the meatballs, it's almost like a bite of all the best parts of spaghetti concentrated onto your fork.

Let's take a step back and talk about what makes a deep-dish pizza. First, they lay down the dough and press it up the sides of the pan a couple of inches, like a piecrust. Then, they lay down a solid quarter inch of cheese, a delightful mix of white cheeses probably containing a lot of mozzarella and ending up having very little noticeable grease. Then they place the toppings you have chosen atop the cheese, and finally they top it off with sauce and the lightest dusting of Parmesan. That's right, the sauce is on top, and the cheese is hidden. Although the sequence is different from what we are used to, all of the flavors of a pizza are there, and I dare say enhanced. There is just more of everything more sauce, more cheese, more flavor in every thick mouthful.

I also noticed Rosati's runs a deal for two slices -- these slices are literally bigger than my face. I would guess the slices top out at nine or 10 inches across the top, and they are long to boot. Sounds like a future lunch plan to me!

A vast vista of pizza sauce covers a planet's worth of taste.Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

You will wait a bit for a deep-dish pizza. Between 30 and 45 minutes, but that wasn't a problem for me, because they have an awesome Star Trek pinball machine that gave me more multiball bonuses than I'd ever seen before, and a Galaga. I am such a sucker for Galaga. I played for about 20 minutes and gave them more of my money, then wandered outside to peruse a shop next door. I actually had fun waiting for my pizza, so that's a clever business model in my opinion.

I took my pizza home and served up a slice. With a beautiful cheese pull and great smells filling my kitchen, I was ready. And it was everything I wanted from a Chicago pizza: thick, saucy, robust, cheesy, all on an obviously freshly made yeasty crust that just can't be frozen or processed.

I will return to Rosati's again when I am craving a taste of Chicago. It is here, finally, nearly in my backyard. Thank you, Rosati's, for bringing this dish home to me. My next request is for someone to do a real Chicago hot dog, and a genuine double-dipped Italian beef sandwich would be lovely, too.